The Phillies have plenty on their offseason to-do list, and catcher is one of the quieter spots that still needs real attention.
J.T. Realmuto is set to open next season as the starter again, but Philadelphia wants to take some of the load off him. That was the plan heading into 2026, only it never really happened because Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan didn’t give the club enough behind Realmuto.
The Phillies appreciated what Stubbs and Marchan brought with the glove, but neither made much of a mark at the plate. Realmuto, meanwhile, put up the least productive offensive season of his career, which only widened the hole in the lineup.
A trade for someone like William Contreras or Hunter Goodman would make sense for fans dreaming big, but those names don’t feel realistic given the state of the Phillies’ farm system. So the freer path is free agency, where Philadelphia can look for a backup catcher who better fits what the roster needs. Three names stand out.
Austin Hedges would fit if the Phillies want to stay with the defense-first model. His glove has long been the selling point, even if that side of his game slipped in 2026. What changed last season was the bat, which finally gave him some actual value offensively.
Hedges posted an OPS+ of 99 and hit .247/.325/.377, easily the best offensive season of his career. That stands out next to his lifetime 56 OPS+ across 2,786 plate appearances.
Defensively, though, he has been a true asset for years. From 2017-2025, Statcast Fielding Run Values showed him as elite, with multiple seasons in the 99th or 100th percentile.
If the Phillies decide they need more punch, Gary Sanchez offers the most obvious power upgrade. Defense is not his calling card, but the offense would be a real boost, especially for a team that needs more home run threats.
Sanchez hit 12 home runs, 10 doubles and one triple with 38 RBI in just 275 plate appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers. His career 5.6% home run rate points to exactly the kind of right-handed power Philadelphia could use.
James McCann rounds out the list as the more balanced option. After productive runs with the Chicago White Sox, he signed a multi-year deal with the New York Mets, where things didn’t go as planned. Still, his offensive trend has pointed up for four straight seasons, and he finished with an 111 OPS+ in 2026 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
McCann has been a steady performer the past two years and, by the numbers, outpaced Realmuto, Stubbs and Marchan. For a team looking for a dependable and affordable backup catcher, he makes plenty of sense.
In Other News...
Phillies Bold Infield Idea Could Cost Bryson Stott
The Phillies are already staring at an infield puzzle for 2026, and it starts with the possibility that both Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez could be free agents. Add in the long-running discussion about Bryce Harper eventually sliding back to first base, and suddenly the clubs infield picture looks a lot less settled than it does right now. It is the kind of roster planning that can reshape both the lineup and the defense, especially if the front office decides it wants more balance across the diamond.
One of the more aggressive solutions would involve Texas third baseman Josh Jung, a move that could give Philadelphia a different look at third while opening the door to bigger changes elsewhere. But any real pursuit of Jung also raises the price tag, and in this case the conversation gets to Bryson Stott, whose name would have to be considered if the Phillies wanted to make that kind of deal work. With Arraez also in the mix as a possible return to the infield, the organization has several paths to weigh, and each one comes with a different tradeoff for the roster it wants to build. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Prospects Could Force A Bigger 2027 Conversation
If the next few months turn into a holding pattern for the majors, the Phillies minor league side could become a lot more relevant than usual. A handful of prospects have already started to make themselves easier to notice, and names like Will Gasparino, Mavis Graves, Caden Bogenpohl, Matthew Fisher and Dante Nori give the system a little more depth than it gets credit for when the conversation stays fixed on the big league roster.
What makes that intriguing from Philadelphias perspective is that minor league players are not tied up in the lockout negotiations, which could give them a longer runway to build momentum while the majors sit still. If the season does get pushed back, the Phillies may find that some of the organizations most interesting competition is happening far from Citizens Bank Park, where a few prospects could force a bigger 2027 conversation than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Finally Making An Important Change Behind The Scenes
After a disappointing offensive season, the Phillies are spending the offseason trying to reshape more than just the lineup. The club has been making roster and coaching changes with an eye toward tightening the connection between what happens on the field and what the numbers say should happen, a shift that has become increasingly important for a team trying to get back on track.
A key part of that effort is the promotion of Dan Aucoin to lead the analytics research and development group, a move meant to bring data more directly into the teams pitching, defense and hitting plans. New coaching hires, including Carlos Mendoza as infield coach, are expected to work closely with that department, giving Philadelphia a better chance to turn its behind-the-scenes work into something more tangible when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]